The wonderful friends I met in Ireland were on my tour of the West Coast! The first day we went to Kylemore Abby in Connemara.
I was lucky enough to have front row seats for my tour of the beautiful countryside.
This was our first stop in Connemara.
The river, grass and mountains were stunning!
Even though Ireland is known for cloudy skies and rainy days… the sun came out for these photos!
Kylemore Abby is nestled on a hill right on the water.
When we stopped for lunch, we saw a sign promoting the Nittany Lions football game against UCF. GO STATE!!
This is the view looking out from the Abbey.
The Abbey was built in 1867 by Mitchell Henry, a wealthy doctor from Manchester, England. He and his wife, Margaret Vaughan (shown above), came here on their honeymoon and fell in love with the property.
Mr. Henry then built the castle for his wife and 9 children. After Margaret’s unexpected death, Mr. Henry then built this chapel for his late wife.
The Abbey is also known for its Walled Gardens.
The current owners, the Benedictine Nuns, are trying to restore the remaining greenhouses.
Mr. Henry sold his estate when he moved back to England to the Duke and Duchess of Manchester. The Duke then had to sell the property in 1920 due to gambling debts. The Benedictine Nun’s got the Abbey and started a private boarding school for girls. They purchased this estate because they were fleeing Belgium during WWI. Unfortunately, the school closed down in 2010, but people from all over the world still come to marvel at the property and its gardens.
They also come to play with sheep 🙂